NC town bans thongs after getting e-mail

A town council in North Carolina has banned thongs, with the mayor saying he wants to keep the area as close to "Mayberry with a beach" as possible.

The Star-News of Wilmington reported that the town council in Kure Beach voted Thursday to ban the swimwear. The move came after the police chief received an e-mail earlier in the week asking if the town's existing nude bathing ordinance allowed thongs.

The ordinance bans nudity or "insufficient clothing," and the man wanted to know if thongs were allowed for both men and women.

Mayor Dean Lambeth says the town clerk flagged the e-mail after learning the question was connected to a photographer who takes inappropriate photographs.